Russian media shows fake video of destruction of IRIS-T air defense system in Ukraine's Sumy region – BILD
Photo: Russians showed a fake video of the destruction of the German IRIS-T air defense system (Getty Images)
The video released by Russian media showing the destruction of an IRIS-T missile system and its Ukrainian crew by an Iskander-M missile does not reflect the truth, according to BILD.
The footage in question was disseminated by the Russian state-affiliated TV channel Zvezda. The media claimed that the incident reportedly occurred near the village of Sinne in the Sumy region, Ukraine, about 11 kilometers from the border with the Kursk region, Russia.
BILD’s open-source data analyst Julian Röpcke described the released footage as "looks a lot like a decoy." He pointed to three key factors that support this assessment.
Firstly, the alleged IRIS-T system is shown standing alone on the edge of a forest, with no soldiers visible around it.
Secondly, after the direct hit, there is no visible fire or explosions. In a real air defense system, munitions and fuel would have detonated.
Thirdly, after the powerful strike, the installation appears almost unchanged externally. Röpcke speculates that it may have been made of wood or a similar material.
Russian war disinformation
Recently, Russian propagandists accused the Ukrainian Armed Forces of a chemical attack in the Kursk region, allegedly due to their inability to break through defenses.
Additionally, Russian media spread a false claim about the supposed intention of the United States to remove President Volodymyr Zelenskyy through an operation in the Kursk region.
Moreover, Russia is likely planning an information-psychological operation against Ukraine in light of the ongoing battles in the Kursk region.
